Toxic
by Fuck if I know
Summary: Kise Ryouta is in the most amazing relationship ever. His boyfriend, Kotaro Yori, is not only the charming class president, but a dashing gentleman that is most loved by everyone he meets. Only, some aspects of his character are hidden well behind closed doors. (KisexOC in beginning chapters, AoKise later; rated for mental/physical abuse, eating disorders, and mention of rape)
1. Chapter 1

**For those that follow my stories, you may be thinking, _"Another one?"_ And the simple answer is, yes. Though I have been writing this since, like, three days after I started _Picture Perfect!_ (And I've actually finished all of my current stories, as well as this one, so they're just waiting to be updated.) And the reason for all of this is very simple: I have no shame. ^^;**

 **Enjoy~? *heart***

* * *

Kise grinned as he skipped his way to school, his eyes shining as bright as the morning sun. He was running early this morning, and he decided earlier that he would stop by Maji Burger for a quick cup of coffee. Bouncing into the establishment, he was met with a large smile from the lady behind the counter.

"Kise~ Your usual morning order?"

The blonde nodded. "Yes please, dear Akina-cchi~"

Akina smiled and set to work immediately. "How is Kotaro?"

Kise sighed dreamily, looking to the heavens in thought. "He's wonderful~"

The girl laughed softly before handing him his drink, as well as a cookie. "Don't worry about paying today, alright? This one's on me."

Kise frowned. "Ne, Akina-cchi, I don't want you to get in trouble~"

She chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Silly, you know I get into more trouble when I make you pay. Now go on, you'll be late for school."

"Thanks, Akina-cchi! I'll make it up to you!"

It wasn't long before Kise arrived at school, and he was greeted by many smiling faces as he passed through the halls. Kise was a well-liked young man, always bright and cheerful, and willing to help anyone in need. Furthermore, he was currently dating his class president, a dreamy young man with dark brown hair, and emerald eyes- Kotaro Yori.

It wasn't too long after the blonde had found his regular seat in class that his boyfriend of nearly two years appeared next to him, kissing his cheek.

"Ryouta~ I've missed you."

Kise giggled lightly, a small blush dusting his cheeks. "Ne, but you just saw me last night, Yori-cchi~"

The brunette smiled softly, stroking his boyfriend's cheek. "But ten hours is such a long time to go without seeing my beloved."

"Eeh, get a room…"

Kise blushed deeper, looking around Kotaro's body to find Murasakibara sitting in the desk opposite of him, struggling with a bag of chips. "Shut up, Murasakibara-cchi!"

"Hm, perhaps he's right."

The blonde blinked, turning his gaze upwards to Kotaro once more. "W-what?"

He smiled. "Perhaps we should get a room. Or, more specifically, an apartment. What do you say, Ryouta? Would you like to move in with me?"

Kise squealed in delight, jumping into the boy's arms. "Yes, yes, yes~!"

Kotaro laughed, stroking the blonde's hair. "Excellent, we'll go look at some today."

XXX

"Ryouta, what is this I hear of you moving in with someone?"

"Eeee, Akashi-cchi~ Yori-cchi asked me to move in with him this morning~ Oh, it's so exciting!"

The group of friends- Kise, Akashi, Kuroko, Murasakibara, Aomine, and Midorima- all sat together in the cafeteria, enjoying their lunches. Kuroko blinked, staring at the empty space beside the blonde.

"Where is Kotaro, Kise?"

"Oh~ He had to stay behind in his last class for something. I'm sure he'll be here soon~"

"That is quite unusual. A student staying behind during lunch," Midorima commented.

Kise smiled, waving his hand. "It's nothing, it happens rather often with him~ Since he's the class president, everyone comes to him with their problems, and this is usually when they find the time."

Aomine grunted. "Is he really that good to you, Kise?"

The blonde blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well…"

"You never complain about him," Akashi finished.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Oh yes, it just seems too good to be true."

Kise beamed, his smile proud and bright. "Well trust me, it's perfect~"

XXX

"Yori-cchi! I like this one!"

Kotaro smiled, wrapping his arm around his lover's waist. "It is a nice place. And certainly within our price range."

"And not too far from school, or my modeling agency!"

He laughed softly, kissing the blonde's cheek. "So, this one?"

Kise nodded. "This one."

The couple had decided on a simple, one story, one bath apartment, with two bedrooms. The walls were a dull beige, and the floors were plain hardwood, but Kise was already rambling about the things he had in store for their new home. Kotaro simply stood back and watched the blonde mumble to himself, smiling as he did so. Turning to the realtor, he nodded his approval. "We'll take it."

XXX

One week later, Kise danced over to the cafeteria table, humming happily as he sat beside his friends.

"Eh, Kise-chin? What are you so happy about?"

The blonde grinned, clapping his hands excitedly. "I finally did it, guys~"

"Got that sex change, Kise?" Aomine asked.

Kise rolled his eyes, but his smile didn't falter. "No, dumbass. I finally fixed up the apartment! It's perfect~"

Kuroko smiled. "That's good, Kise. When can we see?"

"Hm~ I'll ask Yori-cchi about that~" He gasped, his eyes alight, "Maybe we can have a party!"

"Anyplace is a party with me," Akashi said, and everyone looked at him skeptically. Yet no one said a word, not daring to set the redhead off.

"Nee, it's only a party if there's snacks."

"It has to be done properly, though. Or else, it will bring bad luck."

"Hmph, anything with Kise is going to involve bad luck."

"Aomine-cchi! So mean!"

The conversation was interrupted as Kotaro appeared, sitting next to his lover. "Did he tell you?" he asked excitedly, earning a nod from everyone. "Ah, it's great. My little Ryouta is perfect at interior design! Hey, babe, that's what you should go into."

Kise blinked but smiled. "Ah, I thought about it…"

Aomine's brows scrunched together. "I thought you were set on your modeling career or whatever."

"Ah, yeah, that too… I'm a little indecisive," he laughed. "Oh, Yori-cchi~ Can we have a party to show off our new home?"

Kotaro smiled, kissing his blonde's forehead. "Of course, dear. Whatever you want."

XXX

Kise bit the inside of his lip as he stared down at his lap. It'd been seven minutes since Kotaro had spoken to him- he was counting. The silence was bearing down on his chest, and he felt as though he couldn't breathe. Finally, he looked up into the green eyes of his lover, flinching from the emotion he saw in them.

"Yori-cchi, please, tell me what I did wrong."

He sighed. "We've talked about this, Ryouta…"

"About what? I'm confused-"

"Of course you are," Kotaro groaned, and Kise shut his mouth immediately, waiting for the rest of the boy's comments.

"You're always confused… What did I say about the modeling?"

"That it was childish…"

"Yes, and what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?"

"Going to a photo shoot…"

"And what is wrong with this picture?"

"…I'm going against your wishes..."

Kotaro nodded. "And the party?"

Kise sighed, barely audible. "I shouldn't have asked in front of my friends."

"And why is that?"

"Because it forced you to say yes…"

"Yes, Ryouta, you're not as dumb as you appear. You know these things." He stood up, coming closer to the blonde as he instinctively shrunk into himself. "And that's what makes this so hard," he said, just before raising his hand. In one swift motion, Kise was left lying on his side, his cheek burning as tears prickled in his eyes.

He forced the tears back, biting the inside of his lip once more. He didn't dare turn his head to look up to his beloved, didn't dare think for a moment that this was through. He held his breath, waiting for the next blow, and it wasn't long before it came.


	2. Chapter 2

"Kise, are you alright?"

"Hm?" The blonde looked up from the floor he'd been staring at, blinking at the bluenette before him. "Oh, yeah, Kuroko-cchi~ I was just thinking."

Kuroko sat atop the blonde's desk, regarding him carefully. "Classes ended five minutes ago, Kise. Why are you still here?"

Kise smiled, leaning back in his seat. "Oh, I just got caught up in my thoughts. Oh! I should be going! I have a photoshoot in fifteen minutes!"

Kuroko frowned as he watched his friend run out the door. Despite Kise's reassurance, he felt as though something was wrong. In the end, he shrugged it off, assuming that the blonde really had just been lost in thought. Of what, though, he wondered.

Kise arrived to his photo shoot early, as he had lied about it being in only fifteen minutes. In truth, he had ten minutes to spare. The blonde sighed as he fell into an empty chair, waiting for his agent to find him. Pulling out his phone, he found a familiar name written across the screen, a text awaiting him.

 _From: Yori-cchi_

' _You went, didn't you?'_

Kise sighed, slowly typing out his reply, trying not to say anything wrong.

' _I'm sorry, Yori-cchi. If I quit now, my friends will know something is wrong.'_

…

' _Just lie.'_

A sigh fell from his lips.

' _I'm a terrible liar.'_

He smiled bitterly at the next reply, _'Yeah, you're right.'_ The truth was, Kise was an excellent liar. He'd been with Kotaro for almost two years, the fights and violence having been a part of their relationship from the very start, and yet, none of his friends knew. He didn't even think Kotaro knew how much he'd hurt him. He hid his wounds well, forced himself to act as though he wasn't in pain, and always spoke of how kind his boyfriend was.

The only thing Kise didn't lie about lately was how much he cared for his lover. No matter how many times he raised a fist toward him, or yelled cruel things to him until his ears went deaf, he couldn't deny how much he cared for him. All he wanted was for him to be happy.

Well, he wished for himself to be happy, as well, but he'd long since given up on that.

"Kise, you're up."

The blonde was forcefully pulled from his thoughts as his agent called for him, and he put on his incredibly real but absolutely fake smile, following her to hair and makeup.

XXX

' _Eh, Kise-chin, when is that party?'_

' _Oi, dumbass! When's that shit happening?'_

' _Kise, this weekend seems to be a very lucky time to have social gatherings.'_

' _Ryouta, Atsushi refuses to leave me alone with his complaining until we have a set date for your party. Please, make it stop.'_

Kise sighed, scrolling through his friends' texts as he lay on the bed. He paused when he read the last one, from Kuroko.

' _Kise, are you sure you're alright?'_

"No, Kuroko-cchi," he whispered aloud.

"What?"

The blonde blinked, looking up to find Kotaro entering the room. He shook his head, putting his phone aside. "Nothing, how was your day, Yori-cchi?"

Kotaro sighed as he crawled into the bed, taking more space than he needed as he forced the blonde to the edge. "It would've been better if someone had listened to me."

Kise frowned, lightly touching his lover's arm, but his touch was shrugged off, and he curled into himself. "I'm sorry, Yori-cchi…"

He received no response as he closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to soon overtake him.

XXX

"Ryouta, how often do you and Yori have sex?"

Kise spat out his soda as he stared wide eyed at Akashi, the redhead's face completely blank and unfazed. "That's not something you just ask, Akashi-cchi!"

He blinked. "Why not? It's a simple question, and we all know that sexual intercourse is an important part of a relationship."

Kuroko rolled his eyes, nudging the redhead in the ribs. "Sorry, he's just overly curious. He seems to think that we need to have sex more often. Even though we have it almost every day."

Kise blinked. He remembered being like that. Back when he and Kotaro first started dating, they were so in love, so attracted to one another, that they couldn't go a single day without the physical interaction- sometimes multiple times. He tried to remember the last time they'd even thought of sex, and he held back a shudder at the thought.

It had been three weeks before, when Kise had gone through a rather troublesome shoot. It had seemed that everything that could've gone wrong, certainly had, and when he trudged into his home, all he wanted to do was fall into his bed and sleep for sixteen hours. Kotaro, on the other hand, had other plans.

Due to Kise's mother absolutely loving Kotaro, he was awaiting the blonde inside, even at eleven in the evening on a Tuesday. Kise had smiled at him softly, thinking that maybe this could be the night that Kotaro would prove to him once more that he loved him. That they could simply cuddle in each other's arms, and the other male would whisper sweet nothings into his ears as he fell asleep. But alas, this wasn't the case.

Kotaro had instantly lurched forward, forcefully pulling the blonde into a deep and passionate kiss- but not the kind of passion he wanted. It was full of hatred and disgust, and it made Kise sick to his stomach. Kotaro had pulled him down the hallway, locking them in Kise's room before pinning him to the bed. If done correctly, this would have made Kise very eager for what was to come, but the harshness of it all just hurt his chest. He couldn't help but curl into himself, hoping for it to go by quickly, but Kotaro noticed this, and it was not the right thing to do.

In a matter of minutes, Kotaro was gone, and Kise was left, bleeding onto the bed. His whole body ached, as he'd been torn from the inside and out. His cheeks were sore due to the slaps, his wrists raw from the iron grip that had held them, and his insides burned deeply.

Thinking back, Kise was glad they hadn't had sex in a while.

"Kise?"

The blonde blinked, coming back to reality as Kuroko stared at him with concern.

"Oh, sorry~ Hm, we usually have sex twice a week, at least."

Akashi frowned. "You're no help. What about you, Atsushi?"

"Ne, me and Mura-chin? Once a week, so much work."

"Shintaro?"

"Takao likes it frequently, but I prefer it in moderation. Thus, also once a week."

"What the hell is wrong with you guys."

XXX

Kise stared at his untouched food, wondering why he even fixed himself a plate, seeing as the moment he took a bite, Kotaro would have something to say about it. Deciding to test this, he did just that, and before the food could even reach his mouth-

"Don't you have an image to uphold?"

He blinked. "One bite shouldn't hurt, should it, Yori-cchi?"

Kotaro grunted, eyeing the blonde up and down. "One bite, Ryouta? It looks to me like you've had plenty."

Kise sighed, putting the food back onto his plate. "Yori-cchi, why do you have to stay after class so often?"

"Not this again, Ryouta."

"I'm just curious."

Kotaro stared at him for a long moment before speaking again. "As the class president, I have responsibilities. Sometimes, I am only able to attend those responsibilities during that time."

Kise blinked, turning his lover's words over in his head. "Responsibilities…"

"Yes, Ryouta. Someone around here has to be responsible."

"… Are you cheating on me?"

Kotaro immediately put his food aside, sighing heavily as he turned his gaze to Kise. "… If I were, Ryouta, who do you think would be to blame?"

"… Me?"

He nodded. "Indeed. And do you know why that is?"

The blonde paused, but shook his head.

"Because you are a disgrace. Have you looked at yourself lately? You're disgusting. I don't think even a blind man would wish to lie down with you."

Kise flinched at his words, forcing back tears yet again. "H.. How can I.. fix it?"

Kotaro smiled, nodding his head in approval. "That's good, Ryouta, you're showing initiative." He sighed. "You can start by perfecting your body. You have too much fat on you. No one likes that."

Kise bit down on the inside of his lip, nodding.


	3. Chapter 3

Kise stared down at his food, poking at it in disinterest. School was over, and he sat alone at a table at Maji Burger, though it wasn't long before a group of familiar faces found their way over to him.

"Kise? Are you alright?"

The blonde looked up to find Kuroko, Akashi, and Midorima. Smiling, he beckoned for them to join him. "Oh, yes~ Sit, guys, sit!"

The three did as told, but Kuroko refused to look away from the blonde's eyes, though Kise pretended not to notice his staring gaze.

"Where's Yori?" Akashi asked.

Kise smiled, taking a drink of his water. "He had to stay behind."

Midorima blinked. "What are you drinking?"

"What I always drink~"

The green haired boy shook his head. "You always drink that fruity soda you like so much, and there is no carbonation in that drink you're holding."

Kise laughed softly, though his heart was racing in his chest. He felt so on edge today, but he kept his usual appearance, having mastered the façade long ago. "Well now this is what I always drink~"

"Are you trying to lose weight, Kise?" Kuroko asked, eyeing the small amount of food before the blonde, that was obviously untouched nonetheless.

Kise sighed softly, but his smile stayed in place perfectly. "No, just trying to be healthier. My agent says I tire out too quickly."

"Does Yori say that, as well?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko elbowed him in the ribs, a mutter of 'pervert' under his breath.

Kise continued to force his smile. "No, so I must be doing something right~"

Or so he wished.

XXX

"Yori-cchi, please!"

"We're not having this discussion, Ryouta."

"It's one party! My agent says-"

"Your agent is not the boss of you, I am!"

Kise flinched as Kotaro turned to face him, fury in his eyes as he stepped closer. "I-I know, but-"

"No! I'm not going, and neither are you!" he yelled, shoving the blonde backward. "Fuck your agent," _shove,_ "fuck your modeling," _shove_ , "and fuck you!" With one last push, he sent Kise flying into the wall, his head creating a loud thud as it collided against the surface.

It wasn't hard enough to knock him unconscious, but it was enough to make his vision spin as Kotaro continued moving toward him. His heart leapt in his throat as panic took over his body, the only thought racing through his dull mind- _'I have to get out of here!'_

Kise lunged toward what he hoped was the door, as his bearings were still unclear, but it was for naught as Kotaro grabbed him by the shoulders, flinging him to the floor. Before he could even register what happened, there was a sharp pain in his stomach, and it wasn't long until he tasted something metallic in his mouth. He groaned as he bit back tears, and all he could do was lie there, eerily still, praying for it to end soon.

XXX

Kise awoke rather late the next morning. Reading the clock as 10:16, he couldn't bring himself to even care for his tardiness. All he could feel was pain, and he slowly pushed himself from the bed, making his way to the restroom. He groggily looked at himself in the mirror, cringing at the sight he saw.

His hair was a mess, golden eyes bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. A trail of dried blood still ran from the corner of his mouth down to his chin, and his skin was as white as snow. Slowly, carefully, he lifted his shirt, wincing at not only the pain the motion caused, but the sight he saw. His entire torso was covered in purple and yellow bruises, and in some areas, there was a distinguished shape of a shoe. He lightly fingered one of the darker bruises, hissing in pain as he doubled over.

Today was not going to be fun.

XXX

Kise arrived at school just in time for lunch, having spent most of his morning practicing his 'I'm fine' act. He grinned as he sat beside his friends, refusing to take mental note of the empty space beside him.

"Hey, guys~"

Kuroko blinked. "Kise, you look terrible."

The blonde laughed heartily- a little too heartily, perhaps, and he mentally cursed himself for it. "I didn't sleep well."

Aomine raised a brow. "You and Kotaro have a little too much fun last night?"

"You could say that, ha."

Akashi stared at the blonde for a long moment. "Is he being held back again?"

Kise shrugged, and then he said the most honest thing he'd said in the last two years- "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him since last night."

Midorima adjusted his glasses atop his nose, looking at him curiously. "He didn't tell you goodbye this morning, at least?"

Kise smiled, shrugging it off, "I was really tired."

Before anything else could be said, Kotaro swooped in, placing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. And suddenly, Kise's wounds didn't seem to be a big deal anymore, as his cheeks burned slightly with a shade of red, and his heart skipped a beat, just as it used to when Kotaro appeared.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

XXX

How wrong he was to think that. As soon as the couple was in the confinement of their home, Kotaro was yelling at him for being so irresponsible.

"You can't just stay in bed all day," he'd said. "You make me look bad!"

Kise had already begun crying, not being able to hold the tears back any longer, and that just set the other male off even more.

"Stop your fucking crying!" he exclaimed, his fist colliding with Kise's face, sending the blonde backward. He stumbled over his own feet, landing on the floor below, and Kotaro sent a kick to his chest, directly hitting one of his fresh bruises.

"Why can't you do anything right?"

Kise curled into himself, his body racking with blow after blow, until Kotaro groaned heavily, and Kise could hear the tiredness in his voice.

"…Ryouta, this was a bad idea."

Kise's blood ran cold, his heart stopped, and suddenly all he could hear was his boyfriend's words.

"The truth is, I've been seeing this girl for a while. She's cute. Way cuter than you. And she's smart. And you know what? She's better than you in every way."

The blonde couldn't even react, his body was completely numb. It would've appeared to any outsider that Kotaro's words were falling upon deaf ears, but they both knew that Kise was hanging onto every word he breathed.

"So I've decided," he continued, "you're no longer welcome here. And, I'm going to ask _her_ to move in with me. _Tomorrow."_

Kise finally flinched at the force of his final word, and suddenly, his brain was working all too fast.

Kotaro was breaking up with him. This pain was ending. He'd never have to worry about saying the wrong thing again. He had been cheating on him. For a while. How long? He didn't know. It didn't matter now. But wait.

His heart clenched.

Where was he to go now?

XXX

Aomine grumbled as he was forcefully pulled from his sweet slumber by a knocking at the door. Muttering under his breath, he wondered why anyone would be looking for him at two in the morning. Regardless, he never expected Kise to be on the other side of the door.

He stared at him for a long moment before opening his mouth, ready to ask what the hell he was doing here at such an hour, but he stopped when the fog of sleep cleared from his mind, and he took in the sight before him.

Kise was slumped over, a single bag that seemed to hold everything he owned slung over his shoulder. His skin was pale, and his eyes were red and puffy. His lips were even swollen and chapped from where he'd bitten them too much.

Aomine sighed, opening the door further. "Come in…"

XXX

"So, he just dumped you? Out of nowhere?"

Kise sniffled, tears still in his eyes as he nodded. Of course in his story for Aomine, he'd left out all the fights and violence- and really, everything. He'd only told him that Kotaro had met someone new, and that he'd ended their relationship.

The tanned male sighed, running a hand over his face. "Shit. And right after you moved in together, too. Is your apartment already gone?"

Kise nodded. "Yes, they found a new occupant rather quickly…"

"… Is that all you've got?" he asked, nodding toward the blonde's bag.

He smiled softly, sadly, as he looked at his belongings. "Yes… I was never much for material objects…."

"I know, you always cared more about people."

Kise laughed lightly, but it was cold and bitter. "Look where that got me…"

Aomine frowned deeply, taking in his friend's appearance once more. "Kise, why did you come here?"

The blonde's eyes widened, and he quickly spoke up, "I'm sorry! I can leave, I don't want to intrude!"

Rolling his eyes, the bluenette shook his head. "Dumbass, you're welcome here anytime. I just want to know why you chose me."

Kise blinked. "Oh… Well, you're the only one with an apartment to yourself…"

"You were hoping to stay here, then?"

He fidgeted nervously, biting the inside of his lip out of habit. "Y-Yeah… If that's okay, just until I can find a place!"

Aomine nodded, "Of course. Stay as long as you need."

A small smile graced Kise's lips, and for once, it was real, making Aomine's heart skip a beat in his chest. "Thank you, Aomine-cchi…"

The tanned man blushed slightly, looking away from the blonde. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, I'll show you your room."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day was tough for Kise. The blonde awoke in his temporary room at Aomine's and nearly had a heart attack, not remembering what had happened. When his memory came back to him, he curled into a ball and cried, muffling his sounds as best he could.

Aomine stood out in the hall, fist raised and ready to knock on the blonde's door, when he heard a sob. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened intently, and he could faintly make out Kise's crying. Frowning, he went to the kitchen, deciding to leave Kise alone for the moment whilst he made them both breakfast.

Just as the bluenette had set the two finished plates on the table, Kise walked in quietly. So quietly, Aomine nearly jumped when he turned to find the blonde just a few feet behind him. Kise blinked up at him with wide, red eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I.. Thank you, Aomine-cchi."

Aomine grunted softly, sitting before his food. "Don't mention it. Have some breakfast."

Kise paused for a moment before sitting opposite of the bluenette, but he didn't make any move to eat. Aomine raised a brow at him. "Oi, what are you waiting for?"

Kise sighed softly before slowly taking a bite. Aomine watched as the blonde took a total of four bites and stood up. "We're going to be late, Aomine-cchi."

The tanned male turned to the clock on the wall, sighing. In truth, they had plenty of time, but he didn't want to push the blonde today. He was going through a rough time. So he nodded, quickly finishing the rest of his meal before standing and grabbing his things. Then the two of them were out the door and heading for school.

XXX

Aomine pulled the blonde aside as they neared their separation point. Kise's eyes were wide as he stared up at the slightly taller boy. "What is it, Aomine-cchi?" he whispered.

The bluenette's expression was cold, but he spoke softly. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? Being in the same room with him, I mean?"

Kise blinked before smiling softly. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Tsk, I'm not worried. Dumbass."

The blonde smiled fondly after his friend as he walked away then. With a deep breath, he put on a bright smile and headed into his own classroom.

He thought he'd prepared himself for the day, but he soon found that he was far from prepared. In the corner of the room, Kotaro stood, flirting shamelessly with the girl Kise assumed he'd mentioned the night before. Kise could handle how pretty the girl was, how she was definitely Kotaro's type. He could handle the sickly sweet words they were exchanging. He could even handle the fact that they were far too close to his desk for it to be a coincidence. What hurt him the most, was the way Kotaro looked at her.

Thinking back, he could remember when he'd looked at him like that. The first day they met even, when Kotaro had flashed him his most dazzlingly smile, his eyes alit with sheer interest in the blonde. Kise had blushed deeply just at that smile being directed toward him. And Kotaro had leaned in next to him, just close enough for him to feel the boy's hot breath on the skin of his neck, and whispered, "My my, don't you shine brighter than the sun."

It was the cheesiest thing Kise had ever heard, and it made him laugh. He'd later commented that he'd expected something entirely different from Kotaro, but the unpredictability was what he loved the most about him.

Kise forced back a potentially violent shudder as he heard Kotaro whisper those very words into the ears of another.

XXX

Lunch was the worst for Kise. He forced a smile as he sat next to his friends, and he could see that Aomine was still the only person that knew. In a way, he was grateful, since his friends wouldn't pester him about his feelings. But there was a major negative to this small positive, as his friends didn't know not to bring his former relationship up in conversation.

Akashi was the first to say something, causing Kise's heart to clench in his chest. "Is Yori still being held back, Ryouta?"

Kise continued smiling at him, and surprisingly, he was doing rather well at hiding his pain. "Oh, I actually don't know, Akashi-cchi."

Midorima looked at him skeptically. "You don't know if your boyfriend is being held back again? He's in the same class as you, Kise."

The blonde nodded, laughing lightly. "I know, but, I just don't care today."

"Ehh, why don't you care, Kise-chin? Did you two get in a fight?"

"Y-you could say that." And that's when Kise broke, just for a moment. His smile faltered, and his body shook as a single sob escaped his throat. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, but he forced them away, and in a matter of seconds, he was back to his bright, bubbly self.

But seeing such a thing suddenly changed everyone's perspective on the blonde. They all realized in that moment that they didn't truly know Kise the way they had assumed.

"Kise," Kuroko whispered hesitantly, "what happened?"

The blonde continued to smile, even though he knew by the others' faces that his performance was for naught. He just couldn't stop now. Once a tear escaped, he wouldn't be able to stop, and he had to make it through this day. "Nothing, really. Yori-cchi and I just decided we weren't quite as compatible as we thought."

Murasakibara frowned, offering the blonde a cookie. "Have a cookie, Kise-chin, it'll make you feel better."

Kise eyed the sweet for a long moment before smiling at the purple headed boy. "No thank you, Murasakibara-cchi. I'm actually too upset to eat."

Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose, a small sigh on his lips. "Kise, Kotaro was a really nice guy. And you're a… too nice for your own good, kind of guy. You can't expect us to think you broke up simply because you weren't enough alike."

"Well it's true, Midorima," he said softly, "Despite what you may think, the two of us are very different. I was never good enough for him anyway."

Kuroko glanced to his side where Aomine sat, wondering why the tanned male was being so quiet. He noticed that Aomine was staring through his hands, set firmly in his lap. He realized then that Aomine must have known somehow.

"Kise," the smaller bluenette said curiously, "what about your apartment?"

Kise blinked. "Oh, yeah… Well, I'm staying with someone else for now."

"Who?" Akashi asked.

Aomine sighed, finally looking up from his lap. "Me. He's staying with me."

Midorima raised a brow. "How did this come to be?"

"He showed up last night. I'm the only one of us with an apartment to myself."

Kuroko blinked before karate chopping Aomine on the head, earning a small 'ow' from the larger male. "You knew, and you didn't call me?"

Aomine looked at the boy incredulously. "First off, that hurt, asshole! And no, I didn't."

"Why the hell not? I've been worried sick about Kise!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that? Anyway, it's not my place to tell anyone anything!"

Kise blinked as he looked between the boys, and his brows furrowed. "Kuroko-cchi, why were you worried about me?"

Kuroko's anger was immediately erased from his expression as he turned to Kise with a saddened look in his eyes. "I knew you were lying, Kise. I could see you falling apart. When you wouldn't tell me what was wrong, I got worried."

"But… why did you care so much?"

The table grew silent, and Kise couldn't help but curl into himself slightly, wondering why everyone was staring at him the way they were.

"Ryouta," Akashi said, his tone uncharacteristically soft, "you're our friend. We care for you very much."

"… That's stupid."

Aomine rolled his eyes, slamming his hands onto the table. He ignored the blonde's visible flinch, as he leveled his gaze with his, forcing Kise to look him in the eye. "It's not stupid! You matter, and we care! What kind of shit have you been exposed to that makes you think you're not worth something!"

Kise's eyes were wide, and tears were pooling at the edges of his golden orbs as he stared up at the tanned male. Slowly, he looked around the table, everyone staring at him instead of Aomine, waiting for his response. He blinked, slowly. "I-I… I'm sorry-"

"Quit apologizing, dumbfuck," Aomine grunted. He sat back, relaxing back into his previous position. "Just get it through your head that we care."

"… Th-thank you…"


	5. Chapter 5

"Kise, wake up."

The blonde slowly blinked his eyes opened, groaning as he looked up at the tanned male above him. "Wha..?"

"Come on, you slept in. We're going to be late."

Kise grumbled under his breath, moving to get up, when a sudden pain shot through his abdomen. Hissing in pain, he doubled over, and Aomine quickly sat next to him, reaching a hand out to the blonde. The bluenette frowned as Kise flinched away from his touch.

"Kise, are you okay?"

The blonde laughed softly, forcing his pain away as he stood up. "Yeah, I must've slept wrong, haha. Shit! We're going to be late!"

Aomine watched silently as Kise picked up his uniform and ran out of the room, heading straight for the restroom. His brows furrowed. Since when was Kise uncomfortable changing in front of him? They'd been on the same basketball team for years.

"Aomine-cchi, come on~"

He shook himself from his thoughts, following the blonde out of his apartment.

XXX

Aomine had left Kise just outside of his classroom, and he'd left his own class early to meet the blonde for lunch. As he stood outside of the other's designated room, he leaned against the wall, pulling his phone out. He sighed as he read Kuroko's name on the screen.

' _I saw you go by. Where are you going?'_

He checked the time, seeing he still had two minutes before classes ended. He hit reply, and began typing, ' _I'm waiting for Kise outside his class. I'll see you at lunch.'_

' _Why are you so worried about him today?'_

He sighed _. 'I dunno.'_

He put his phone away just as classes were dismissed, and he stared at the room's entrance, searching for the familiar blonde. His brows furrowed as the line of students exiting slowly dwindled to none, and he peeked into the room. He frowned, only finding Kotaro and some girl.

Aomine confusedly waltzed into the room, heading straight for the sickeningly flirtatious couple. "Oi, Kotaro, where's Kise?"

Kotaro smiled kindly up at the tanned male and shrugged. "He didn't show up today."

He frowned. "That's impossible."

The other boy raised a brow. "Why is that? Did you see him here this morning?"

Aomine paused. For some reason he felt something was off with Kotaro, he felt that he shouldn't necessarily answer him truthfully. "No, he just didn't mention not coming in today."

He turned and walked away then, not waiting for Kotaro's response. He had to find Kise. He pulled out his phone once more, texting everyone, even Takao and Himuro.

' _Has anyone seen Kise?'_

It wasn't long before his phone began blowing up with replies.

' _Kise-chin is missing?'_

' _Ehh, goldilocks? Haven't seen him!'_

' _I thought you were at his class, Aomine.'_

' _Is something wrong with Ryouta?'_

' _I haven't seen him, but his luck is very dim today.'_

' _I saw him leave earlier. He looked pretty sick.'_

Aomine's eyes widened as he read that last text, from Himuro. He quickly replied, _'Which direction?'_

…

' _Downtown.'_

Aomine calmly walked toward the exit, but his heart was racing. This wasn't like Kise at all. As soon as he was outside, he bolted down the street, looking for any sign of the blonde.

It wasn't long before he spotted him, sitting alone at an outside café. Breathing a sigh of relief, the bluenette sprinted over to his friend, panting slightly as Kise looked up at him with wide eyes.

"A-Aomine-cchi?"

"What the hell, Kise?" he said, sitting opposite of the blonde. "Kotaro said you didn't even show up."

Kise frowned, tears coming to his eyes at the mention of the other boy's name. "I-I'm sorry, Aomine-cchi. I saw him with that girl, and I…"

Aomine sighed, leaning forward to capture the slightly smaller male's golden eyes. "I understand, but you should've at least told me you were leaving. I waited for you outside your class. I nearly had a heart attack when he told me that."

Kise blinked, looking away. "I d-didn't think about it, I'm sorry. I just needed some time…"

"Of course you do. You didn't even have a proper chance to grieve. Just, don't scare me like that."

A small smile crossed the blonde's face as he looked back into his friend's dark blue eyes. "I won't."

"Good. Now do you still, need time, or do you want to meet up with the others?"

He sighed, flashing his bright smile. "I'd like to see my friends."

XXX

"Kise! Where have you been?"

Kise was more than surprised when Kuroko jumped up from his seat, practically jumping the table to firmly grasp him by the shoulders. Though the bluenette could barely reach, Kise had to suppress his hiss of pain as Kuroko's hands landed perfectly on bruises more than half their size.

"I'm sorry, Kuroko-cchi~ I felt sick and went home for a little while. But I'm all better now!"

Kuroko regarded him carefully, looking for any sign of falsehood in the blonde's exterior. He sighed when he realized it was useless, as Kise was far too good at hiding his feelings anyway. "You sure you're okay?" he asked, finally releasing the taller boy's shoulders.

Kise relaxed slightly, slowly, so as to not bring attention to his former tense stance. "Yes, I'm fine~" He grinned broadly, just as Kotaro passed by.

The brunette paused, eyeing the blonde's smile. He stepped closer to him, smiling sweetly. "Ryouta, you seem to be doing lovely."

Kise visibly flinched, having not seen his ex-lover by his side. But he quickly masked his newfound fear as he smiled brightly up at the boy. "Yes, I am, Yori-cchi. So nice of you to still care~"

Kotaro nodded, his smile so loving and kind- though Kise knew what was truly behind that smile. That's what made this encounter all the more dangerous. "How can I not care about you, Ryouta? Even if our relationship has ended, we're still friends, aren't we?"

Kise's knees were threatening to buckle beneath him, but he continued forcing his smile, not backing down from this. He felt that if he were to do so, he would lose the only part of himself he still had- the dignity he held in the presence of others. "Of course, Yori-cchi. Always."

Kotaro turned his eyes to the rest of the group, his smile shining as bright as ever. "It seems like forever since I've spoken to you all. We should all catch up sometime." He shot one more smile to Kise before turning away.

It was then that Kise released the tension he'd been holding within himself, falling into his chair. "Fuck…"

"Eeh, you handled that really well," Murasakibara commented.

Himuro, who had decided to join the group for the day nodded. "It was very respectable of you, Kise."

"Respectable? I just don't want him to know how much pain he's caused me."

Midorima nodded. "Even so, that performance was admirable. I realize that you're a model, Kise, but where did you learn to act?"

A small smile graced the blonde's features, but bitterness rose within him. "I don't know what you mean, Midorima~"

XXX

"You haven't eaten all day."

Kise blinked, looking up from his phone to the bluenette that sat across from him. They currently sat at Maji Burger, due to Aomine's insistence on eating on the way home. The blonde smiled, shrugging.

"Not hungry~"

Aomine grunted, pushing a burger toward the other male. "Eat."

Kise's face scrunched up in disgust as he looked at the burger. "Ew, do you know how unhealthy that is?"

Rolling his eyes, Aomine threw another one at his face. "It's healthier than eating nothing, dumbass!"

Kise frowned, his lips puffing out in a pout. "So mean, Aomine-cchi…" he muttered, but he then silently unwrapped the burger and took a bite, making sure it was larger than normal to please Aomine.

Aomine watched him finish the food, satisfied at the moment. He wasn't sure when Kise got on this 'health kick,' but he was sure it wasn't good for him, and he intended to fix that. Unfortunately, even if he force fed the blonde, he couldn't stop him from vomiting it up in secrecy, which was exactly what Kise planned to do.

He couldn't let Kotaro win. He had to be thin.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks were tough on Kise, and his friends. Every day, they saw another piece of the blonde break apart, revealing how much pain he was truly in. Of course, Kise continued to deny this at all times, never once admitting to anything, even as tears streamed down his face.

As the group all sat around the school's basketball court, having just finished a game, Kise was once again doing his best to hold back tears. Every time he played, he was reminded of Kotaro. Not because Kotaro loved watching basketball, which he did, but because when Kotaro would watch him play, he would later criticize every little thing he did.

'You didn't move quick enough.'  
'Your dribbling is off.'  
'That dunk was unnecessary.'

And the worst-

'You'll never be as good as Aomine, Ryouta. Don't put so much pressure on yourself.'

Kotaro had known that Aomine was the one that introduced Kise to basketball. He had known that the blonde looked up to the bluenette the most when it came to his favorite sport. And his words were cold, and he had known they would sting.

That's what made it so hard for Kise to accept criticism now, in anything. Most of the time it was constructive criticism, but in his mind, the words twisted and came out in the voice of the man he once loved so dearly, trusted so much.

During practice, Akashi had given him a simple pointer- don't hesitate to do what you know is right. This should've been easy for the blonde. He was smart, tactical, but ever since Kotaro, he was also hesitant. When Akashi said those words, something snapped within himself. His movements had only gotten worse, and he'd made plenty of mistakes since then. When he tried not to think too much, he would rush into something and make a stupid mistake. When he tried to make sure no wrong could come from his actions, he was distracted long enough to blunder.

He couldn't win.

"Ryouta, why is your skill steadily decreasing in practice?"

Kise flinched from Akashi's words, but he smiled. A stupid grin, as stupid as he felt. "Sorry, Akashi-cchi. I'll do better next time!"

The redhead merely blinked at him. Kuroko sighed worriedly, noting the single tear threatening to spill out of the blonde's golden eye.

"Kise, is this because of Kotaro?"

Kise cringed again, but he laughed. "What? That again? As if~"

"Oi, we all know you still miss him, brat," Aomine said, looking off to the other side of the court. "It's still messing with your head, right?"

Kise blinked. He didn't miss Kotaro. He missed the man he thought he knew, but that was never Kotaro. It was all an act. As for his previous relationship being the reason behind his decrease in performance, he couldn't deny that. He frowned, turning his gaze to his lap. The blonde stared at his trembling fingers, wondering why the hell he'd ever let Kotaro damage him so much. He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the tears from overflowing.

"It's not that I miss him," he choked out, "I just don't see how I can be good at anything, if I wasn't good enough for him…"

Kise felt his heart break a little more as he himself realized how true that statement was. Kotaro was the kind of person who sought perfection. He had chosen Kise because the blonde obviously had that potential. He'd had the potential to make Kotaro the happiest person alive. And he had failed. He would never amount to anything, knowing that he couldn't make his love happy.

Midorima frowned, throwing his lucky stuffed lion at the blonde's head, effectively pulling him out of his stupor. "It's not that you weren't good enough for him. You two simply weren't meant to be. It's a matter of fate, nothing more."

Kise's eyes were wide as he stared at Midorima, wondering why he suddenly seemed to care so much. The green haired boy had told the blonde to die plenty of times before. There were many times Kise had thought he'd meant it. Yet here he was, trying to cheer him up.

Midorima blinked, ignoring the many shocked glances pointed toward him. "Kise, hand me back my lion. I need that."

The blonde smiled softly, wiping at his eyes as he sniffled before picking the lion up. He held it gingerly, as if it would break at the very touch of his finger- he really thought it would; it seemed as though everything he touched fell apart- as he carefully handed it back to Midorima.

The green haired boy pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, taking mental note of how careful Kise was being with a stuffed toy for his sake. "Thank you."

Kise smiled, "Eh, thank you, Midorima-cchi."

XXX

The spring formal was just around the corner, a single week away, and that seemed to be the only topic on everyone's lips. Kise tried to avoid any mention of the dance, but he simply could not. Many of his fans had confessed to him, asking him to be their date, but he politely declined each one. His excuse? 'I have fallen for another~' To which the girls would be disheartened and charmed all at the same time.

Girls were confusing.

In reality, Kise had no intention of going to the dance. Until a certain happenstance occurred. The blonde had been standing in line, waiting to get a sandwich for lunch, when Kotaro of all people appeared behind him, leaning down to breathe on his neck.

Kise instantly knew it was him, as this was how he'd often greeted him in the early stages of their relationship, and he'd pushed the pain that seemed to course throughout his body aside as he turned to his former love. "Yori-cchi. What are you doing?"

He'd smiled, the smile that once made Kise's heart melt. Now it just felt like a prickly cactus had been thrown into his heart. "I'm getting lunch."

Kise rolled his eyes. "Ah, that's not what I meant."

Kotaro's smile had only broadened to a grin. "Hey, Ryouta, you going to the dance?"

The blonde froze for but a moment, a sad look flashing in his golden eyes before replaced with that of apathy. He sighed boredly. "Ne, what's the point in such a thing? We spend so much money on fancy clothes trying to impress people that we won't even know in a couple of years."

Kotaro raised a brow at him. "Oh? Since when do you choose to see social events that way, Ryouta?"

'Since you made me into the person I hate the most.'

"It's not all social events. Just most of them."

Kotaro laughed softly, leaning closer to the blonde- too close. He could feel the man's breath on his face, and it made his heart flutter, but it made his stomach sick. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you couldn't find a date~"

Kise scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Me? Couldn't find a date? Do you realize how many fans I have just dying to even be in my presence?"

"Oh? You're that popular, Ryouta?"

He sighed. "Yes, and I could easily get a date to that stupid dance."

Kotaro laughed once more, a wicked tone to it that only Kise would recognize. "Mind if we have a little bet on that~"

The rules were simple enough. If Kise brought a date to the dance, Kotaro would do anything he asked of him for a week. If the blonde failed to retrieve a date, he still had to show up, fully clothed as if he were accompanied by someone, and tell the student body his deepest darkest secret.

What Kotaro didn't know was that Kise's darkest secret was what he'd done to him during their relationship, but that didn't matter, as the blonde was determined to win- just for the sake of making Kotaro lose.

But who was he going to take? He couldn't ask such a thing of his precious fans. No matter how badly they wished to be his date, he couldn't simply use them like that. But there was no one in the whole school that Kise even remotely liked. In fact, out of everyone he knew, he hardly liked any of them enough to even call him a friend. Hence why he only had five.

And he couldn't even ask one of them. Midorima would of course be going with Takao, not that he would have even considered the blonde's offer to begin with. Murasakibara would be accompanied by Himuro, and Akashi would certainly be taking Kuroko. That only left Aomine, and Kise nearly laughed at the very idea.

As if that tanned brute would ever agree to such a thing.

Kise groaned, slamming his head on his locker door. "What am I gonna' do…"

"Oi, the hell you beating yourself up for?"

Kise jumped, startled by the sudden voice. His wide eyes turned to find none other than Aomine himself, the bluenette's brow raised toward him.

"A-Aomine-cchi. I didn't know you were still here."

The tanned man grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked away. "Yeah, well. I started walking home, but I realized I didn't see you leave. So I came back."

Kise blinked up at him, nearly in awe. "Y-you came back for m-me?"

Aomine's cheeks suddenly burned a light shade of red. "Ah, don't say it like that, moron! Tch. I was just wondering why the hell you hadn't left yet, you freak. And why are you beating your head on the lockers?"

The blonde couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face. Though if anyone else had called him those things, he would be crying by now, he knew Aomine well enough to see past the façade. Aomine was a good guy, he just didn't like to show it often. Kise sighed, looking at his feet.

"I was just trying to figure something out."

"…What was it?"

"Eh, I made a bet with Yori-cchi that I could find a date to the dance."

Aomine blinked at him, but it wasn't long before his usual grouchy expression was back in place, and when he spoke, he sounded almost angry to the blonde. "And? I'm sure you already have one, so what's the problem?"

Kise smiled softly, sadly. "That's just it, though. I don't have one. Can you believe it, Aomine-cchi, I even considered asking you."

The space between the two suddenly felt very heavy, and Kise refused to lift his head, though his smile was still intact. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say," he murmured, turning to leave.

Aomine shot his hand forward, catching the blonde by the shoulder, and out of habit, Kise winced, readying himself for the next blow. After a moment, he remembered who this was, and he turned his now curious gaze to the bluenette behind him.

The tanned male wouldn't quite meet his gaze, and his cheeks were burning as he continuously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I-I… I can be your date," he mumbled, "just, just for the bet."

Kise stared at him incredulously. "You would do that? For me, Aomine-cchi?"

"Tch, for you? Hell no! I only agreed 'cause I don't like people like Kotaro winning shit like that! Don't be stupid!"

Kise smiled softly, shaking his head at his friend's antics. He was very grateful for his friends, especially Aomine. They were always there to cheer him up, even when he felt he didn't deserve it.


	7. Chapter 7

When the night of the dance came, Kise was a total wreck. Aomine simply laughed under his breath as he watched the blonde run back and forth around his room, trying to make sure he had everything he needed. Finally, Kise heaved a heavy sigh, taking a long, hard look in the full length mirror Aomine had recently provided. (A model needs such a thing, he'd claimed.)

The blonde ran a hand through his hair, groaning. "I still look like shit!"

Aomine rolled his eyes. "The bet was that you bring a date, not look like a prince. Who ya trying to impress?"

Kise sighed, his eyes running over his body's reflection, mentally picking out every flaw.

"… And you don't look bad, Kise. You look better than most people at that damn school. Isn't that why you're a model, after all?"

The blonde's eyes widened, and he turned to find Aomine blushing once more, avoiding his gaze. He smiled. "Ah, you're right, Aomine-cchi. I bet I even look better than you!"

"Oi, you wish!"

XXX

The blonde was calm for a full twenty minutes, until he stood in the center of the school's ball room, surrounded by gawking girls. They weren't the problem, though. His golden eyes scanned the room for Kotaro, not really wanting to see him, but also wanting to get the winning over with.

Finally, his eyes fell upon the said male, grinning mischievously from across the room. He slowly walked over to the blonde, bowing slightly as he made his greeting.

"Good evening, Ryouta. I see you did in fact show up. But, hm, where is your date?"

Kise forced a smile, laughing melodiously. "My date? Why, he's right over there~" he sang, pointing toward Aomine just a few feet away. The tanned male was currently greeting Akashi and Kuroko, not paying attention to the blonde- or so it seemed. Aomine was very aware of the two pairs of eyes on him, and he soon glanced over toward Kise, shooting him a broad grin.

Kise held back a sigh of relief as he watched Kotaro's smile falter slightly.

"Your date is Aomine?"

"Mhmm."

He laughed, the sound hurting Kise's chest. "I bet he only came with you because you bribed him, right? Because really, Ryouta," he smirked, "who could love a man like you?"

Kise's smile slowly broke, revealing a small piece of the pain he felt, when Aomine suddenly wrapped an arm around the blonde, pulling him into his chest.

"Hey, baby," he said, just before pressing his lips firmly onto Kise's, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The blonde was shocked, to say the least, but he didn't hesitate in kissing back full force, doing his best to go along with the act.

Kotaro stood in shocked silence until the two broke away, Aomine finally looking at him.

"Oh! Sorry, man, I didn't see you there."

He smiled, but it was weak. "A-ah, yeah. No problem. Um…" He turned toward Kise, nodding. "We'll d-discuss the details, later then?"

Kise grinned, shaking his head. "I can tell you right now, Yori. All I want is for you to leave me the hell alone."

A spark of anger lit up in Kotaro's emerald eyes, but he pushed it down, putting on an apologetic mask. "Of course, Ryouta. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Kise couldn't help the cringe that coursed through his body then. It hurt even more to hear those words, knowing full well that Kotaro held absolutely no remorse. There was no doubt in Kise's mind that he still wanted to hurt him, and he would, if given the chance.

But now that Kotaro was gone, there was another pressing matter to address: the pounding of his heart as Aomine had kissed him. Turning wide eyes and a broad smile to the bluenette, he squealed quietly, hiding that concern for the moment.

"Shit, Aomine-cchi, that was great! I didn't expect you to kiss me like that! He totally bought it!"

Aomine smiled slightly, though it seemed a bit off to the blonde. "Y-yeah, he really did, didn't he?" He laughed. "You're uh, a really good actor, Kise."

The blonde smiled. "Thank you, Aomine-cchi. You have no idea how much this meant to me."

XXX

A week passed by after that night, and Kise's good mood quickly fell to its lowest. Not only was he still being haunted by Kotaro's previous words and actions, but now Aomine wouldn't even look at him. It hurt, especially since he had no idea what he had done wrong.

One day, whilst Aomine was being held back in class, Kise paused his dressing in the locker room, turning to his friends. "Guys, does Aomine-cchi seem different to any of you?"

Kuroko blinked. "No, he seems as self-loving as usual."

Akashi nodded in agreement. "Though I did notice that he's been a bit more aggressive in practice this past week. But as long as it doesn't interfere with his basketball, I don't care."

Midorima raised a brow toward the blonde, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Why does such a thing concern you anyway, Kise?"

The blonde shrugged. "Well, I'm currently living with him, and he's seemed rather cold and distant toward me lately. It makes our situation slightly uncomfortable."

The conversation was ended then as the bluenette entered the room.

During practice, however, things only escalated. In the middle of one of Kise's plays, Aomine ran straight into him, sending both of them to the floor with a loud crash. Groaning, Kise rubbed at his head, having hit it on the way down.

"A-ah, Aomine-cchi…"

Aomine merely grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. "You're a really good actor, Kise."

The blonde blinked up at the boy, his brows furrowing. "Wha-?"

He rolled his eyes. "And as dense as I thought," he added, turning and running back to the opposite side of the court.

Kise stared into space for a long while before remembering he was still on the floor. Pulling himself up, he decided to push the matter aside, only momentarily, and resume practice. But once practice had ended, and the group gathered in the locker room once more, Kise made up his mind.

Just as he turned to confront the bluenette, he found him darting out of the room. Groaning to himself, Kise sprinted out as well, easily catching up with his friend.

"Aomine-cchi!"

Aomine swatted a hand at him. "Leave me alone."

"No, Aomine-cchi! Tell me what's wrong!"

"Leave me alone, Kise!"

"What did I do wrong?"

Aomine sighed exasperatedly, turning on his heels and almost knocking the blonde back onto the floor with how close he'd been trailing him. "You did nothing wrong, you stupid blonde! Don't you get it? That's the problem!"

Kise stared up at his friend, dumbfounded. "Wh-"

He groaned, rolling his eyes. "You wouldn't understand!"

"Then make me understand!"

"I can't! How could you possibly understand how much I love you?!"

Kise's heart stopped, leaping into his throat. His eyes were as wide as they could be as he stared at Aomine, watching as the tanned man gradually grew a blush the colour of Akashi's hair.

"Tch. Forget I said that. You can do that, right? With your _fantastic acting?"_

He turned to leave, but Kise threw himself before him, blocking his way. "Is that what this is about? You think I was acting that night? Fine, I'll admit it, I was trying to put on a show! But these last few weeks with you have been amazing, and when you kissed me, I felt something too!"

Aomine was stunned into silence at the blonde's outburst, and his words replayed over and over in his head.

"… Stupid Aomine," he muttered. "Let me assure you this time, I am not acting." And without any hesitation, the blonde firmly grasped the slightly taller male's face, pulling his lips onto his own. He put all of his heart and soul into that kiss, praying that Aomine could feel his true feelings being poured into his soul. When the two finally broke apart, they were panting slightly, both donning crimson cheeks.

Aomine laughed breathlessly for a moment, before a large grin stretched onto his face. "You have no.. idea… how long-"

Kise shook his head, "Shut up-" and pressed their lips together once more.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been six weeks since the couple's confession, and Kise and Aomine were both happily dating one another. It was sometimes strange to the others to see an actual smile on Aomine's face, and not because he happened to be playing against a strong opponent. Though the two were never overly affectionate in the public eye, their friends could certainly see that they were almost always on the other's mind.

The only problem, was that Aomine was beginning to notice things about the blonde. Not like the little things that made him who he was, like how Kise loved to stop by Maji Burger in the mornings before school, sometimes with the actual longing for coffee, but many times simply because he wanted to brighten his friend Akina's day. But more like subtle hints that something was wrong.

He was suddenly always cold now, and no matter what Aomine did to warm him up, he always failed rather miserably. The two slept in the same bed now, partially for this very reason, and it hurt the bluenette to see his blonde violently trembling in his sleep.

Furthermore, Kise's skin was more sensitive now. He bruised far too easily. Aomine watched as he stumbled into a table once, lightly hitting his hip, and by morning, there was a very purple bruise in place. In fact, most of Kise's formerly pristine white skin was now covered in blotches of yellow and purple. It worried the tan man greatly.

These thoughts were still troubling Aomine's mind as he practiced with his team, though he continued sinking every shot he made. As practice came to an end, the group gathered in the locker room to change, and the bluenette kept a wary eye on his boyfriend. But as it were, there was no need to.

Kise came bounding up to him as soon as he was dressed, a large smile on his face. But something felt off to Aomine. His brows furrowed as he prepared to listen to what the blonde had to say.

"Daiki-cchi~ You'll have to walk home on your own today, okay?"

He blinked. "Eh? And where are you going to be?"

The blonde tilted his head. "I thought I told you, actually. I'm heading to the gym now~"

Aomine's eyes widened slightly, and he shook his head. "No, Ryouta, you're putting too much of a strain on yourself. You already practice for three and a half hours every afternoon, that's enough."

Kise frowned, and the look shot a pang through Aomine's chest, but he was going to stand firm on this. He had to. He had a terrible feeling in his gut.

"Daiki-cchiiii~ It's just a little extra workout~ Not every day, just twice a week. You guys are all so strong. I'm obviously the weakest of the bunch. Ne, besides Kuroko-cchi, but that's why he's here~ I thought maybe if I worked a little harder…"

Aomine sighed deeply, trying not to get sucked in by the large golden pools staring back at him. In the end, he couldn't help himself. "Alright, but you only get twenty minutes. Text me when you get there, and text me when you leave."

Kise grinned, flinging himself onto the tanned male. "Ah, thank you, Daiki-cchi~ I will, I promise!"

As Aomine watched the blonde disappear out of the room, his concerns only grew, and he worried he'd made a horrible mistake.

And yes, he had. By the next week, Kise had persuaded the bluenette to let him workout his extra twenty minutes every day. Aomine told himself every morning that he would definitely say no this time, but the look of absolute fear and sadness in Kise's eyes whenever he opened his mouth was too much for him to handle. And it was getting out of control.

The blonde barely ate as it was, and now he was burning an excessive amount of calories, energy, every day. Aomine could see the blonde getting thinner, as could everyone else on the team. Even Takao had mentioned it once when Kise was out of earshot. Not only that, but Kise was always tired now. He could barely keep up in practice. The bluenette didn't see how Kise even had the energy to suggest going to the gym.

And on top of that, Aomine was noticing an increasing amount of blonde hair in his home- not on Kise's head, where it should be. Every morning there would be loose strands on the blonde's pillow, and clumped in the shower's drain. Even looking at his boyfriend, it was obvious. His once shiny, healthy hair was suddenly too thin, stringy, brittle. Aomine had wondered why Kise's modeling career wasn't affected by it, but seeing the pictures in his latest magazine, he realized they'd had to use a lot of photoshop. In the pictures, Kise looked the way he always had, smiling bright and looking healthy. But compared to the real thing now, it was just a shadow of a memory.

The breaking point for Aomine's silent endurance, was when he found that Kise was always sleeping in class. Kotaro had been the one to tell him, as he'd said, "being class president, it is my job to ensure the well-being of my classmates." Aomine thought that was bullshit, but he'd been grateful for the information anyway. He now made a point to walk by the blonde's class at least three times a day, and sure enough, every time he slid past, Kise's head rested on the desk, fast asleep.

This continued for three days before Aomine said anything. During those three days, he'd contemplated the whole situation, and though he didn't quite know what was going on, he knew it was something bad. So when Kise made to leave the lockers, heading for his usual evening destination, Aomine was quick to pull the blonde back.

Kise's eyes were wide with what seemed to be fear, and though that's the very thing that usually broke Aomine's will, he would not let it today. "Ryouta, what's going on?"

The blonde blinked. "I'm going to the gym?"

"No, what's going on with your health?"

Kise was quiet for a long moment, very aware of his teammates' eyes on him, something Aomine seemed to have forgotten. "I don't know what you mean, Daiki-cchi."

Aomine rolled his eyes, and his fist collided with his locker, the sound pulling a violent cringe from the blonde. "How can you not know what I mean?" he said, but it didn't come out in the harsh tone everyone had expected. It was but a whisper, quiet and pained. It tore at Kise's heart.

"Dai-"

"You're always tired, you've even been sleeping in class."

"How do you-"

"Kotaro told me, and I saw you a few times. You're always freezing, you're becoming more clumsy, you're not eating, and have you seen your own body, Ryouta?"

The blonde flinched, but it wasn't because of Aomine's words, but because he'd made a point recently not to look at his own body. Until he heard Kotaro tell him he looked good, he wouldn't step foot in front of a mirror.

"Your skin is blotched with bruises, your hair is falling out, your fingernails are _blue_ , for fuck's sake!"

Kise's eyes were wide as he turned his gaze to his fingers. He frowned, tears coming to his eyes as he realized that Aomine was right. His nails were an awful blue colour, the colour of Kuroko's hair- which looked good as hair, but not as fingernails. And even his wrists were yellow and brown with bruises.

"I-I…" He wanted to say something, to reassure his boyfriend as the tanned man stared at him worriedly, but the words wouldn't come, and he felt the now all too familiar weightlessness in his body, darkness creeping at the edge of his vision. The last thing he saw before falling unconscious, was Aomine's wide, horrified eyes.

In that moment, Kise regretted every decision he'd made regarding Kotaro. He resented himself for letting him change who he was. All he could see, were those dark worried eyes that had no business being troubled over someone like himself.

He should have known it was possible, to hurt the one you loved without placing a single hand on them.


	9. Chapter 9

When Kise slowly blinked his eyes open some four hours later, he found himself in a completely white room with only two generic paintings hanging from the walls. Looking to his side, he found a single chair, and various machines, some working, some turned off. And when he lifted his arm to scratch his neck, he found an IV had been inserted into his skin. He frowned, not quite remembering why he was here.

It was then that a young girl, only a couple of years older than him, entered the room, smiling at him. Her smile wasn't fake, but apologetic, and Kise did not enjoy being pitied.

"Kise Ryouta, I'm glad you're awake. You have a visitor outside waiting for you, but first, your doctor would like to speak with you about some things. We tried to contact your parents, but were unable to reach them. Is there anyone else we can contact? Perhaps another relative, or a friend that lives nearby?"

The blonde's ears perked up at the sound of a visitor, knowing it had to be Aomine. "Um, is the visitor a tall, tan boy? With blue hair?"

She blinked. "Well, yes, but-"

"I live with him."

Clarity flashed in her doe brown eyes before she frowned, looking at the chart in her hands. "Our records say you live with a Kotaro Yori, though."

Kise couldn't help the flinch that came from the name. Though he had shown a lot of progress with handling his situation, to hear his name so unexpectedly still shot a pain through his heart. He smiled, "Yes, but that changed three months ago."

The girl nodded. "Alright, I will speak with, er, what is that boy's name?"

"Aomine Daiki."

She smiled. "Yes, Aomine. The doctor will be with you shortly."

Kise watched disinterestedly as she walked out the door, but he was soon captivated by her conversation. He could barely hear her voice, as it was just above a whisper, but he could distinctly hear Aomine's. Though he couldn't quite make out everything he said. The bits he understood were, "thank God," "Yes, he moved," and the one that scared him the most, _"What?"_

The blonde cringed into himself as the door flung open, and Aomine stood before him, eyes dark and scowl in place. But something about his appearance didn't set Kise on edge as Kotaro's had. When Kotaro had been upset, his face showed almost no emotion, especially when the two were in public. Aomine's expressions were almost always harsh, as were his words, but Kise had never felt threatened by the tanned man. And this was no different. What Kise felt right now, looking up at his boyfriend, was far from fear. It was regret, pain, worry. He knew that behind Aomine's angered expression, was a boy that had been hurt by how much concern he held for Kise himself.

"Ryouta, why didn't you tell me?"

The blonde blinked. Even the bluenette's words were soft, unlike his grimace. "Tell you what, Daiki-cchi?"

"… Do you really not know?"

Kise's eyes were wide with curiosity, confusion. He shook his head slowly. "I don't know what you're referring to."

Just then, the doctor came in, a small, worried smile on his face. "Hello, Kise, I am Dr. Sato. I am the one that has examined you, and somewhat determined your diagnosis, and I will also be the one you report to in future events."

The blonde's brows furrowed. "Future events? Diagnosis? Sir, with all due respect, I just overworked myself a little. I don't even know why I'm still here."

Dr. Sato paused, sharing a look with Aomine. Looking back to Kise, he sighed. "Kise, your body is showing major signs of malnutrition. This boy here even told the nurse that you haven't been eating hardly at all. Is that true?"

Kise's golden eyes flickered to the bluenette for a mere second, and suddenly, he knew where this was going. "No, I eat."

"Just, not a lot, and not often?"

"I'm a model. I'm on a strict diet-"

"I spoke to your agent, Kise. You're not on a diet, because so far, you've been rather healthy, what with basketball and everything."

The blonde gulped, his heart racing faster in his chest. He could feel the control slipping away from him. Any minute now, he'd break.

"There are also signs of stomach acid on your teeth, though I will admit I'm no dentist. And Aomine, is it? Has told me you've been exceeding your physical limits as of late, as well."

"N-no, I'm fine. I just overdid it."

Dr. Sato smiled sadly, shaking his head. "If you're in denial, I can't treat you."

"In denial of what? I'm fine!"

The room was quiet, the only sound reaching anyone's ears being the harsh pants under the blonde's breath. The doctor looked at the clipboard in his hand.

"I can't be completely certain, what with this being out of my expertise, but I would say Anorexia." He looked to Aomine then, and Kise could tell he was no longer part of the conversation. "I will set up an appointment at a well trusted psychologist's office. I'll make sure that you, or a parent or guardian, will be able to sit in on his sessions. For the first few visits, anyway. For now, I will suggest multivitamins to renew his health. He will need a lot of rest. No exercise for at least a week, plenty of sleep, actual food." He pulled out a sheet, handing it to Aomine. "This is a list of suggested foods that will help him regain the nutrition he's lost, as well as maintain a healthy weight."

"A healthy weight?" Kise asked, astonished.

The doctor turned back to him, frowning. "Yes. Kise, do you know how much you weigh right now?" The blonde paused before shaking his head. "You are currently at the 130 lb. mark."

Kise's brows knitted together. "And?"

"A boy your height should be at least 165. And weight aside, you're nothing but skin and bones. Mostly bones."

The blonde looked down at himself. Yes, he saw the bones the man spoke of, but he also saw imperfection. How was he supposed to prove himself to Kotaro now?

"… There's something else I would like to discuss with you, Kise. But," he looked to the bluenette beside him, "I am required to have that conversation alone."

Aomine paused, hesitantly looking at his boyfriend, but he nodded, leaving the room once more. The doctor sighed lightly, turning back to Kise. He stepped closer to the blonde's bed, sitting in the chair directly to its side.

"Kise, whilst I was examining you, I came across some things rather, disturbing."

The blonde swallowed thickly, trying not to seem as nervous as he felt. "Disturbing?"

He nodded. "Besides all the signs of an eating disorder, I found some minor scars along your body." Kise stiffened immediately, but it didn't appear that the doctor had noticed. "A small, almost vertical line across your pelvis, a circular mark on your shoulder-blade, which appears to me to be a cigarette burn. Even a single slash in the palm of your hand."

Kise held his breath, refusing to look the man in the eye. The doctor sighed, realizing he wouldn't be receiving a response just yet.

"Now, that last one would initially appear to have been an accident, but upon further inspection and coupled with the others, I've come to the conclusion that that simply isn't the case. But you wouldn't have slammed a blade into your own palm, would you?"

Kise laughed softly, his voice low and dark. "Me, hurt myself? I can't stand pain."

Dr. Sato smiled, nodding. "I figured as much. And with how much you've been in recently, I'm sure it's difficult for you to tell me who did this to you."

The blonde held eerily still, biting at the inside of his lip. "How do you _know_ someone intentionally did this to me, though?" he asked, "It could've really been an accident."

The doctor shook his head. "I also took the liberty to examine your wrists more closely, after noticing the way they appeared. I x-rayed the bones, and do you know what I found?" The blonde shook his head, but he didn't want to hear this at all. "Your wrists have been fractured repeatedly. Though they have healed completely now, they have not healed properly. If you don't have surgery to fix your bones soon, your wrists will collapse on themselves, and you won't be able to play basketball again."

Kise's heart seemed to stop in his chest, tears stinging the backs of his eyes. "Dammit…"

"… Can you tell me who did this to you, Kise? If you tell me, I can help."

The blonde shook his head as his tears slowly escaped, despite how hard he tried to hold them back. "I-it doesn't matter," he muttered, "h-he's not in m-my life anymore…"

Though Dr. Sato longed for more information, wanting to make sure whoever had hurt Kise wouldn't ever hurt anyone again, he nodded and kept quiet. If Kise refused to talk to him, there was nothing he could do. He supposed he just had to be grateful the blonde was out of harm's way now.


	10. Chapter 10

Aomine was nervous about leaving Kise home alone all day, but the doctor had ordered the blonde to get plenty of rest. Unfortunately, Aomine had not been excused from school himself. After six worried goodbyes, the tanned man was forcefully pushed out of his own apartment, as Kise gave him one last kiss before slamming the door in his face.

So Aomine went through his day alone, the blonde always at the edge of his mind. He was a nervous wreck all morning, and his friends were quick to notice when lunch came around.

"Aomine, what happened yesterday? After they took Kise to the hospital?" Kuroko asked, his eyes wide with concern.

Aomine sighed, running a hand through his hair. "They wouldn't tell me anything until he woke up. But they said he was suffering from an ED."

Murasakibara blinked. "Er, an erectile dysfunction?"

The tanned man's face scrunched up. "Oi, no. An eating disorder."

Kuroko gasped lightly, his heart aching in his chest. "W-what kind of eating disorder?"

"Eh, Anorexia? The doctor wasn't actually sure about the diagnosis. Kise has an appointment with a psychologist in a couple of days. That's when we'll know."

Midorima grimaced, pushing his glasses back into place. "So that's the reason behind the sudden switch between soda and water."

Akashi nodded. "And the smaller amount of food he's been eating."

"And the excessive exercise," Kuroko mumbled.

A heavy sigh fell from Aomine's lips. "It was right in front of us…"

Murasakibara frowned. "Kise-chin is a really good actor…"

Aomine scowled. "He is, indeed."

XXX

When Aomine arrived back home, expecting the absolute worst, he was more than relieved to find that Kise was fine. Other than the fact he was running around the apartment like a madman, mumbling to himself as he appeared to be searching for something.

Aomine raised a brow as he stepped in front of the now crawling blonde, stopping him in his tracks. "Oi, what are you doing?"

Kise laughed sheepishly as he stood to his feet, scratching at his cheek. "Eh, Daiki-cchi~ When did you get here?"

The tanned man grunted. "Doesn't matter, what are you doing?"

The blonde sighed, avoiding his boyfriend's gaze. "Ne, I lost my earring…"

Aomine stared at him for a long while before snorting. "That's it? That's what's got you going crazy?"

Kise crossed his arms, puffing his cheeks into a pout. "Don't make fun of me! That earring is important to me!"

"Eh? Why?"

The blonde paused, his fingers instinctively raising to his earlobe. "I-I mean, the earring itself isn't, but I've gotten so used to wearing it! I feel naked~!" he whined.

Aomine sighed, rolling his eyes. "Oi, calm down. I'll go out and buy you another one, okay?"

Kise stopped in his tracks, looking up to the slightly taller male with wide, awe-stricken eyes. "R-really, Daiki-cchi?"

Aomine felt his cheeks begin to warm, and he quickly averted his gaze, huffing under his breath. "If it'll keep you from trashing my apartment anymore."

Kise smiled softly, dancing over to kiss the other man on the cheek. "You're the best, Daiki-cchi~"

"Yeah, yeah. Go back to bed, Ryouta. I'll be back with your precious earring."

XXX

When Aomine came back home for the second time, he found the blonde sitting eagerly on the sofa, bouncing up and down in excitement. Rolling his eyes, the bluenette walked over to him, pulling the earrings out of his pocket. He'd been a little too upset when he found the store only carried them in pairs, but he figured if it meant Kise would stop acting like a Tasmanian devil, he would spend the money on the extra useless ring.

Kise eagerly stretched out his hands, like a baby reaching for a bottle. Aomine grunted, sitting beside his stupid boyfriend. "Let me do it."

The blonde immediately stilled, his only movement being his hand flying to his earlobe. Biting the inside of his lip, he noticed Aomine's bewildered expression. He smiled sheepishly, slowly releasing his ear.

"Sorry, I just don't usually like people messing with my ears."

Aomine blinked. "Well I don't have to. I just thought it'd be easier, since I can see it better."

Kise continued to chew the inside of his lip, hoping not to look as troubled as he felt. He nodded. "No, that makes sense. Just, be careful, okay?"

The bluenette raised a skeptical brow but leaned in closer, preparing to insert the ring. He paused, his hand still hanging in the air. Kise held his breath, avoiding his boyfriend's gaze.

Aomine cocked his head curiously, lightly fingering the blonde's earlobe. "I didn't know you had a scar here."

Kise shivered at the mere mention of it, but he laughed it off. "Oh, yeah, Yori accidentally snagged it once, haha."

Aomine merely hmmed as he continued to inspect the scar. Kise's heart was beating far too fast, his mind racing. Though it was true that Yori had 'snagged' his earring once, it had been far from an accident.

It was during one of their one-sided fights, over modeling no less. Kotaro had been furious that Kise had once again chosen a photoshoot over staying home alone, whilst he stayed behind at school, himself. Kise had only had the earring for a couple of months, but it was another thing Kotaro had warned him against. Back then, Kise hadn't cared much for listening to his boyfriend, no matter how many times he pushed or hit him. But that day was the changing point. That was when Kise realized it wasn't just going to stop with simple things like that.

 _Kotaro had been so infuriated that he'd literally tackled the blonde onto the ground, pinning him underneath himself as he grabbed hold of Kise's wrist. He'd laughed darkly before muttering the words, "Oh, dear, Ryouta, what have you done to yourself?"_

 _Kise had originally thought the question was rhetorical, a mere reference to the situation he now found himself in. He was only half right. Whilst the blonde was eagerly trying to free himself, Kotaro had pulled a knife from his pocket. Kise found this out when his abusive boyfriend slammed the blade into the palm of his hand, making him scream in pain._

" _Yori, what the hell!"_

 _Kotaro had slammed his head onto the floor with his knee, continuing to dig the blade in deeper. "You've always been rather clumsy, Ryouta."_

 _The blonde bit back another scream as the man pushed harder, the knife's point burrowing deeper into his skin, and tears came to his golden eyes. Once Kotaro realized he wouldn't be receiving another response from that, he tossed the blade aside, and his eyes fell upon something shiny. He grinned, leaning down to whisper into Kise's ear._

" _I told you not to get this, didn't I?" He lightly grasped the earring, and Kise instantly knew what was coming. He squeezed his eyes shut as the ring was pulled straight through his skin, eliciting a heartbreaking scream from the blonde._

 _Kotaro had smiled, twisting his newfound treasure between his fingers as Kise's ear and palm bled profusely. "Maybe you should listen to me more, Ryouta," was all he said as he stood to his feet and went to bed._

Kise didn't even notice Aomine putting the earring into his ear, gently clasping it shut. He only realized he was done when the tanned man stood and made his way to the kitchen. Kise raised his hand slowly, allowing his fingertips to graze the ring.

"Th-thank you, Daiki-cchi."

"No problem, baby."

He smiled to himself. Aomine was no Kotaro.


	11. Chapter 11

The next few nights were hard on Aomine and Kise both. Whilst the blonde was tossing and turning all night, his teeth chattering from how cold he was, Aomine was staring at him. The bluenette couldn't sleep knowing the blonde was uncomfortable. Though Kise always insisted on sleeping on his own side of the bed, at some point in the night, he always ended up curled into Aomine's chest. Aomine didn't mind. In fact, he preferred it that way. The blonde was just too stubborn to let him supply his warmth.

It was one of these nights, before Kise's inevitable change of heart, that Aomine's heart broke a bit in his chest. He'd been watching Kise intently, the blonde shivering more violently than most nights. Aomine had just decided to pull his boyfriend into his grasp when he heard him talking in his sleep. Brows furrowed, the bluenette leaned in closer, listening intently. His heart clenched when he heard the single word on the blonde's lips.

"Yo.. ri.."

XXX

The next morning, Kise couldn't understand why Aomine was avoiding his gaze. Furthermore, the bluenette was being short and curt with him, not his usual overly protective self. The blonde had itched to ask what was wrong, but had been too afraid to do so, remembering all too well the many times that vey question triggered Kotaro's violence.

In the end, Kise had watched helplessly as Aomine stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Everyone at school could tell a difference in Aomine the moment they saw him. Not only was he back to wearing his permanent scowl, his eyes were dark and dangerous, daring anyone to test him.

As the colourful group of friends all sat around the cafeteria table, Kuroko was the one that decided to break the silence that had accumulated.

"Aomine? Is something wrong?"

The bluenette grunted, not even meeting the smaller boy's gaze. Akashi's eyes narrowed like daggers.

"Daiki, Tetsuya asked you a question."

Aomine rolled his eyes, turning his apathetic gaze to the redhead. "Yeah, I know."

"You will do well to learn respect."

"Look, no offense, Akashi. But fuck off, okay?"

Akashi began rising to his feet, his intent to kill, until Kuroko pushed him back down. "It's okay," he whispered before turning back to his tan friend.

"Aomine, what's wrong? Is Kise alright?"

He scoffed. "No, how can he be, when he's stuck with me?"

The smaller bluenette's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? He loves you."

Aomine rolled his eyes again, groaning. "It doesn't matter, okay? Just drop it."

Kotaro, having happened to be walking by at that precise moment, stepped closer to the group. "Is something the matter, Aomine?" he asked. He peered down at the empty space where Kise should be. "Did something happen to Ryouta?"

Aomine growled under his breath. "Yeah, something happened to Ryouta. You fucking broke his heart!"

Kotaro cocked his head to the side, blinking at him innocently. "I thought he moved on, though. He is dating you, isn't he?"

"Doesn't matter, he's still calling your name in his sleep."

Emerald eyes suddenly shined with understanding. "Is that so?" he commented absentmindedly. "Is it, just my name?"

Aomine scoffed, looking at him like he was crazy. "Yeah, does that make it any better?"

"Oh no! I didn't mean it like that. I was just, curious."

"Well go be curious somewhere else."

Kotaro frowned, but nodded and made his exit.

Kuroko looked up at Aomine worriedly. "So that's what this is about?"

The taller boy sighed heavily, laying his head on the table. "I'm not good enough, dammit."

XXX

When Aomine came home, he was surprised to hear Kise crying. Even from the doorway, the blonde's sobs could be easily heard. He quietly made his way down the hall, pushing the bedroom door open.

Kise was sitting up on the bed, his face buried in his hands as he cried loudly. Aomine realized he'd gotten home a little earlier than usual. Kise probably hadn't expected to still be crying when he arrived.

He made his way over to his boyfriend, his heart softening at the rare sight of him. Reaching out, he lightly brushed his fingertips along the blonde's hair. Kise, having not noticed the bluenette, flinched at the touch, instinctively sliding himself up against the wall.

"D-Daiki-cchi," he muttered, "w-what are you d-doing here?"

Aomine frowned, feeling anger well in his chest for an unknown reason. Perhaps because just last night Kise had been calling another man's name, and now he dared talk to Aomine as if nothing had happened. "I live here, dumbass."

For once, the blonde flinched from Aomine's words. Not the words themselves, but his tone, enveloped in rage. Kise could feel the bluenette's deathly aura from where he sat.

"I-I.. Th-that's not-"

Aomine rolled his eyes, throwing his bag onto the floor. He either didn't notice the blonde's flinch, or he didn't care. "Quit stuttering. Tell me what's up."

Kise's eyes widened, tears threatening to spill over again as he stared up at his lover. "W-what? Y-you're the one-"

"Don't play innocent!" The blonde flinched into himself again, a small whimper escaping his lips. "What the fuck do you take me for, Ryouta? I'm not an idiot!"

"I d-don't know wha-"

"Don't lie to me!" Aomine's voice continued to become louder with each sentence, his arms flailing about wildly. "If you want to go back to Kotaro, just say so!" he finished, his hand flying above his head, fingers clenched into a fist.

Kise instinctively curled into the fetal position, crying out, "Please don't hurt me!"

Aomine paused immediately, his eyes wide and incredulous. Slowly, he turned to look at his own fist, held high in the air. Looking back to Kise, he found the blonde trembling violently, whimpering softly as he awaited an impact that wasn't going to come.

"Ryouta… I'm not going to hurt you…"

The blonde slowly peered out from under his arms. After a long moment of gauging the bluenette, he forced himself to relax, sitting normally once more. Aomine watched as he made a point to avoid eye contact at all cost. And suddenly, it all made sense.

The scars he'd noticed but hadn't mentioned, the days he came into school late, the fake smiles, the self-loathing, the disordered eating, the wrist surgery he desperately needed, and finally- whimpering Kotaro's name in his sleep.

"… That little shit."

Kise visibly flinched from the comment, though he knew it wasn't directed toward him this time.

Aomine fell to his knees, his eyes soft as he tried to coax Kise into meeting his gaze. Though his blood was boiling, and he itched to throw a punch, he forced himself to appear calm. He was no better than that filthy man if he scared his beloved boyfriend.

After a long while, the two sat together on the sofa, drinking hot tea. Aomine pushed the blonde's hair out of his eyes, looking deep into their golden depths.

"Ryouta," he whispered gently, and he was relieved to find the blonde looking back at him, not cringing away from his voice. "Kotaro hurt you, didn't he?"

Kise was eerily still for a long moment, until his body trembled and the tears came once more. Aomine quickly took the tea from his love just before Kise flung himself into his arms. Sighing under his breath, the bluenette placed the hot liquid to the side so that no one would get burned. Then he gently wrapped his arms around the blonde's torso, kissing his hair softly.

"It's okay, baby," he whispered, "I'm here. He won't hurt you ever again. No one will."


	12. Chapter 12

**So, um.. This story's gonna have a bit of a.. rushed? ending. This is actually the last *chapter. Though there will be a thirteenth, it'll be more like an epilogue. For those of you that have read my other stories, you probably know what I mean. (Short and simple and not really chapterish.) But hopefully it'll still be up to standard. If not, I sincerely apologize.**

 **Anywhales, enjoy this chapter, I suppose? *heart***

* * *

The next day, Aomine didn't even bother coming into school. He spent the whole day making sure Kise was well taken care of, proving to him how much he cared. However, the blonde had insisted on Aomine attending basketball practice, and after a long, drawn out discussion, the bluenette was left with no choice.

With a shower of final kisses and a heavy heart, Aomine left the blonde alone once more. As soon as he was out the door, his face twisted into a scowl, wrath welling within his chest.

When the bluenette arrived at the gym, everyone could feel the difference in his aura, despite his wearing the same expression as the day before.

Akashi picked up on the tan man's intentions, calling the meeting for him. They all sat on the benches of the locker room, all eyes on Aomine. Midorima was the first to speak.

"Did you straighten things out with Kise?"

The bluenette gave a curt nod. "That's what I'm here for. I didn't tell Ryouta, but I decided last night that you had to know."

Akashi leaned forward in anticipation, all ears. "Go on."

"When Ryouta said Kotaro's name in his sleep, I was foolish enough to think it was out of love."

Murasakibara tilted his head, looking as childish as he often acted. "What else could it have been, Mine-chin?"

"Fear."

Kuroko blinked. "Fear? Of Kotaro? He's such a nice boy, though."

Aomine shook his head, clenching his hands into fists at his sides. He breathed out a shaky sigh, trying to keep himself calm. "No, he hurt him. I talked to Ryouta today, and he didn't tell me much, but he told me plenty."

Akashi leaned ever closer, very interested in the topic at hand. "What did he say?"

Aomine would normally have backed away from the redhead, fearing for his own life. But today he only embraced Akashi's thirst for blood. "He told me how Kotaro had beaten him, bruised him, even cut him. How he's the reason Ryouta needs surgery on his wrist."

Akashi's eyes flashed dangerously, his deathly aura completely overwhelming Aomine's. A collective shiver passed through the room. "Yori is the reason? The reason that our Ryouta may not be able to play basketball again?" Of course, this was not Akashi's only concern, but the thought of Kise losing the sport he loved so much made his blood boil.

Aomine nodded, and that's all it took. Akashi stood to his feet immediately, his eyes the coldest they'd ever been. "Practice dismissed. I will see you all tomorrow."

"Ne, Aka-chin-"

" _Dismissed!"_

XXX

Kise insisted on going back to school the next day. He was up and dressed, even having made breakfast, all before Aomine even opened an eye. Watching as the blonde danced around the room, a newfound light in his golden eyes, Aomine hadn't been able to deny the request. Though he did make sure he spoke to Murasakibara before classes began. The purple headed giant was the only one that was in Kise's class, and thus the task of protecting the blonde from Kotaro fell upon his shoulders.

The lazy teenager was for once all too happy to oblige, his only comment, "I'll crush him."

Aomine wasn't nervous in the slightest bit, even as lunch rolled around. Murasakibara was childish and lazy, but when it came to the people he loved, he was very loyal. And potentially dangerous.

The bluenette leaned back in his seat as he watched the familiar head of purple make its way over, a small blob of yellow directly to its side. Aomine smiled kindly at Kise as he sat across from him.

"Daiki-cchi," the blonde whispered, "why is Murasakibara-cchi acting all motherly?"

Aomine merely laughed as the others all found their seats. Akashi was the last to sit, his aura oddly calm. Kuroko blinked up at his boyfriend.

"Seijuro? Are you alright?"

The redhead smiled, and the rare sight was enough to take anyone's breath away. Akashi's innocent face was purely angelic. "Yes, Tetsuya. I'm perfectly fine. Oh, and Tatsuya and Kazunari will be joining us today."

It wasn't long before Akashi's words were proven right, as Takao bounded over to Midorima, whilst Himuro calmly took his seat beside Murasakibara, politely greeting the group as if he hadn't been drafted into a warzone.

Kise was completely oblivious to all of the strange happenings, but the others could clearly feel it- that something was coming. It wasn't very long at all before it arrived.

Kise may have been oblivious, but Kotaro certainly was not. He felt it the moment he walked by the familiar table, a challenge of sorts. Plastering on a sickly sweet smile, he turned and walked closer to the people he used to lightly refer to as friends.

"Hello, old friends~" he sang, glancing around the group. His green eyes lingered on Aomine in particular. "Why so angry?"

In his mind, he was sure Kise hadn't spoken up. The blonde had always loved him far too much to say anything about his behavior, and what would be the point now? They never even spoke anymore.

By this time, Kise had also caught on. He deliberately stared at the table in front of him, not daring to look up to Kotaro's judgmental gaze. His heart pounded in his chest, seemingly threatening to plunge right out and into his own palm.

Akashi slowly lifted his crimson gaze to the deceitful male across from him, smiling at him as if they were truly old friends after all. "Yori, why don't you have a seat?"

The words appeared to be a generous offer, but Kotaro knew them to be an order. With his smile still intact, he did as he was told, taking his familiar place beside the blonde.

Akashi noticed the tiny cringe from Kise as Kotaro's shadow overcame him, and he quickly spoke again. "Ryouta, don't be so uptight."

Though the comment seemed like just another friendly remark, the blonde instantly relaxed. He couldn't explain it himself, but something about this side of Akashi was soothing. He trusted in him, completely.

The redhead turned his kind gaze back to Kotaro, tilting his head lightly. "Yori, is there something you'd like to say to Ryouta?"

The brunette blinked, glancing to the blonde at his side. "Uh…" He noticed the dangerous spark that flashed in Akashi's eyes, even for a mere second. He cleared his throat, turning to face Kise more directly. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Ryouta."

Akashi nodded. "Good, now elaborate."

Kotaro's emerald eyes flickered back to Akashi's, his breath hitching in his throat at the intensity that now lay there. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"Oh I think you do," Akashi continued, his voice as sweet as honey. Yet there was an underlying warning to his tone, evident, though hidden. "Apologize for all the ways you hurt him."

Kotaro's lips pressed into a thin line. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, moving to stand. But Takao wasn't having that. The usually happy-go-lucky raven clamped his hand onto Kotaro's shoulder, forcing him back into his seat. His grey eyes were dark and narrowed, but he smiled politely at the other boy.

The brunette felt trapped, and it wasn't an often occurrence. Finally, he sighed heavily, releasing his façade as a grimace formed on his lips. "You want apologies?" he mumbled, nodding to himself. "I can apologize." He turned to Kise, reaching his hand out to firmly grasp the blonde's chin. He pulled his face toward him, forcing him to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Ryouta. I'm sorry that I pushed you. I'm sorry that I hit you. I'm sorry for all the well placed kicks I landed on your filthy torso. I'm sorry for calling you fat. I'm sorry for raping you. I'm sorry I made you sell your most precious items before allowing you to move in with me. I'm sorry I kicked you out. I'm sorry I stabbed your hand. I'm sorry I've left your body scarred and tainted. I'm sorry for cheating on you. I'm sorry that I told you I loved you. I'm sorry I pointed out your every flaw at every chance I got. I'm sorry I told you you'd never amount to anything, especially in basketball when I knew you wanted to be just like Aomine. I'm sorry I beat you for modeling." He paused, a dark smirk growing on his lips. "And I'm sorry that you are forever broken because of all the things I'm not sorry for."

Kise's chest ached as if it was the first time Kotaro had kicked him there- a sharp, sudden pain that constricted his breathing. His golden eyes were wide as he stared into the emerald orbs of the man he once claimed to love. He felt as though he was going to cry, but no tears came.

Aomine's body tensed, and he lunged toward Kotaro, ready to rip his throat out, but Kuroko and Midorima held him back. During the dispute, Akashi was left unguarded, and in a flash of blurring red, Kotaro was on the floor. Though the hands clasped around his neck were much smaller than his own, they were gripped tight, and he couldn't pull them away.

Gasping for breath, Kotaro was forced to look into the crimson eyes of the devil himself, and he felt a wave of sudden fear- a fear worse than anything he'd ever felt. Unbeknownst to him, in a flurry of flittering emotions, Kotaro felt the very fear he'd bestowed upon Kise himself.

As darkness crept at the edges of his vision, he was overwhelmed by the raw emotions pouring from his own broken soul.


	13. Chapter 13

_**One Year Later**_

Kise happily breathed in the morning air on the balcony of his shared apartment, the sun bathing him in its warmth as he released a contented sigh. "Ah, it's beautiful today~"

Aomine smiled, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist. He pulled him close, kissing his neck. "Mhmm, perfect for staying in bed~"

The blonde rolled his eyes, lifting his arm to pat the bluenette on the head. "Sorry, Daiki-cchi. You know we have to meet the others~"

Sighing, the tanned man nodded, releasing his hold of his boyfriend. "I know." He paused, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. "Oi, you think we'll see Kotaro?"

Kise rolled his eyes, smiling as he danced over to the mirror. He looked at himself from all angles, hmming lightly. "It's not fair to make fun of someone in jail, Daiki-cchi." He stared at himself for another moment before nodding approvingly. "Damn, I look good~"

Aomine chuckled to himself, kissing the blonde's shoulder- once, twice, until Kise whimpered the smallest of moans.

Turning to face the tanned male, Kise wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him lightly. "Maybe we can be a _little_ late~"

Another chuckle came from the bluenette as he pulled Kise back over to the bed. "That's what I'm talking about~"

XXX

"Ah, there they are!" Kuroko grinned as he waved at the couple, beckoning them over.

Kise beamed at them, skipping his way over, Aomine's hand held firmly in his own. "Kuroko-cchi~ Are you excited?"

The smaller boy nodded, his eyes bright with anticipation. "I can't believe you're going international! I knew you were a great model, but this is amazing~"

The blonde laughed, nodding. "I know, I never thought I'd make it this far."

Akashi then interjected himself into their conversation, a smile on his lips. "Ryouta, how have you been?"

Kise breathed in a deep breath, nodding to himself as he exhaled. "Never better. Yori's out of my life, I'm living my dream, and I have the best friends I could ever ask for."

Aomine puffed his cheeks in a pout. "Oi, where do I fit in all that?"

The blonde smiled up at him, not hesitating to pull him into a deep, long kiss. Pulling back, he bit his lip, a small blush dusting his own cheeks. "Stupid Daiki-cchi," he sang, "You are my dream~"

Kuroko rolled his eyes at the sappy couple, pushing them from behind, even though he was far too small to do any good. "Come on, you two~ The others are waiting! You're going to be late for your own debut, Kise!"

Aomine smiled, intertwining his fingers with his beloved blonde's. "You're my dream too, baby."

Kise's eyes widened as his cheeks darkened drastically. He rolled his eyes as he dramatically flung himself into the tanned man's arms, releasing a heavy sigh.

"Oh, I think I've fainted~ That was the cutest thing Daiki-cchi's ever said~!"

Aomine laughed softly, placing a light kiss to the blonde's lips. "You're a good actor, Ryouta."

Laughing, Kise pulled himself back into an upright position, leading the way toward his modeling agency. "No," he mused, a content smile on his face, "I think I'm done with acting."

* * *

 **Again, sorry for the rushed ending. (I had a whole other 'this is what happened to everyone' thing 'written' in my head, but um, things happened and I'm no longer able to remember what I had planned, but I do remember that Akashi and Aomine talked Kise into going to the police (it took them having to mention that Kotaro would probably hurt others in his life if Kise didn't speak up, for the blonde to do just that) and so his sentencing was supposed to be twenty-five years in jail with no probation, but because Akashi is, well, Akashi, he will be rotting for at least thirty-five years in a cell, instead.)**

 **Thank you for reading, guys~*heart***


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